2025 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in New York
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #13 most popular bachelor's degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.
College Factual looked at 16 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in New York ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,658 bachelor's degrees in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies School for Your Bachelor's Degree
Your choice of parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality parks & rec program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
Overall Quality Is a Must
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
Average Early-Career Salaries
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
Other Factors We Consider
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
- Major Focus - How much a school focuses on parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students vs. other majors.
- Major Demand - How many other parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students want to attend this school to pursue a bachelor's degree.
- Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
- Student Debt - How easy is it for parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies to pay back their student loans after receiving their bachelor's degree.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies related body.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies students working on their bachelor's degree.
One Size Does Not Fit All
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in New York list to help you make the college decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you.
Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Parks, Recreation, Leisure, & Fitness Studies in New York
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies.
10 Top New York Schools for a Bachelor's in Parks & Rec
Graduate Certificate
Highest Degree Type
235
Annual Graduates
It is difficult to beat Syracuse University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Syracuse is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Syracuse.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Syracuse University
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
259
Annual Graduates
SUNY Cortland is a good option for students interested in a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. SUNY Cortland is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of Cortland.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from SUNY Cortland
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
48
Annual Graduates
Canisius College is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies. Located in the city of Buffalo, Canisius is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Canisius College
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
170
Annual Graduates
Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies has to look into The College at Brockport. SUNY Brockport is a moderately-sized public college located in the town of Brockport.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from The College at Brockport
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
45
Annual Graduates
Manhattanville is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large suburb of Purchase.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Manhattanville College
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
48
Annual Graduates
Located in the large suburb of Garden City, Adelphi is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Adelphi University
Located in the town of Oneonta, SUNY Oneonta is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from SUNY Oneonta
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
90
Annual Graduates
STJ is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Queens.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from St John’s University - New York
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
28
Annual Graduates
Located in the suburb of Rochester, Fisher is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from St. John Fisher College
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
48
Annual Graduates
Brooklyn College is a fairly large public college located in the city of Brooklyn.More information about a bachelor’s in parks, recreation, leisure, & fitness studies from Brooklyn College